Says I have 20% battery left, but shuts down. Battery light blinks. Wtf?

[jackmack]

I've tried twice to configure the batter or whateve rwhere you charge to 100% and leave it like that for a few hours or whatever, then run it until it shuts off and leave it like that for several hours... still doesn't fix it.

Key factors:

-Sometimes it wont charge to 100%... it holds at 99%
-When it shuts off because the "battery isout", I can turn it back on and itll say there is battery left, run for a little while, and shut off again.

Wtf? Did my battery go bad or something?

The light that blinks is on the battery itself. 1 light... flashing.

edit: *sigh*.. looks like its a wonderful defect:

http://www.appledefects.com/?p=42

 

[telecomm]

How old is your battery? If it's more than a couple of years old it may be time for a new one; one of mine started doing this when it died.

 

[tangerineyum]

does it shut down or go to sleep? at 20 percent i think the mac portables automatically go into sleep mode to preserve what ever it is you are working on, until you can get it back on the wall charger.

 

[jackmack]

4 months old. I've been great with it too.. charge it to 100, run it down to 4% or whatever gives the warning to plug it in... should be nice andfresh...

The test of fait will be how Apple treats this... will they be a good company and replace the battery promptly? Or will they steal my mac and try to prove me wrong for weeks before returning it?

I'm a ProCare member if it helps

*sigh*

Seriously regretting getting a mac lately with these damn glitches and problems.

Edit:

@tangerineyum... it shuts off completely. no warning that battery is low, no sleep mode to save itself.

 

[telecomm]

The test of fait will be how Apple treats this... will they be a good company and replace the battery promptly? Or will they steal my mac and try to prove me wrong for weeks before returning it?

I'd wager on the former, they seem to be pretty good about handling battery issues (my PB battery was just replaced due to the Sony recall).

It's also worth noting that battery problems are the fault of the battery manufacturer (which isn't Apple), and other laptops (as recent news events will have made clear) are certainly not immune to this problem either.

Anyway, let us know how things go when you contact Apple.

 

[jackmack]

I'd wager on the former, they seem to be pretty good about handling battery issues (my PB battery was just replaced due to the Sony recall).

It's also worth noting that battery problems are the fault of the battery manufacturer (which isn't Apple), and other laptops (as recent news events will have made clear) are certainly not immune to this problem either.

Anyway, let us know how things go when you contact Apple.

Will they swap it in store? Or what is procedure?

Most of my problems with mac lately have stemmed from there being some stupid glitch and no one knows hot to fix it (like my browser problem located here: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/234510/)

Windows had more problems, but it was easier to find a solution because so many had the same problem... with a mac, it seems like I keep getting glitches that defy reality lol.

 

[telecomm]

Will they swap it in store? Or what is procedure?

Batteries recalled due to the Sony manufacturing problem had to be dealt with through the website, but your MacBook isn't affected by this recall, so it's possible you might be able to sort this out at an Apple Store. I guess it's worth a shot, but you might want to call to report the problem first (might was well take advantage of that AppleCare). Good luck!

Edit: Also, FireFox 2 RC3 was released today, maybe that'll help with your browser problems.

 

[Cameront9]

4 months old. I've been great with it too.. charge it to 100, run it down to 4% or whatever gives the warning to plug it in... should be nice andfresh...

Wait....Have you been doing this EVERY TIME you use the battery? As in, draining it completely with each use?

That's NOT good for the battery and will reduce your battery's life by quite a bit.

Download Coconut Battery and see how many cycles your battery has had (You can also find this information in the system profiler).

 

[IJ Reilly]

A battery that charges to 98-99% is fine. This is normal. If it charges to less than that, or shuts down long before it gets to 0%, reset the battery by allowing it to run down until the Mac goes into forced sleep mode, then recharge it fully. But don't do this frequently -- as has been pointed out, deep cycling reduces battery life.

 

[jackmack]

Wait....Have you been doing this EVERY TIME you use the battery? As in, draining it completely with each use?

That's NOT good for the battery and will reduce your battery's life by quite a bit.

Download Coconut Battery and see how many cycles your battery has had (You can also find this information in the system profiler).

so its best if I keep it plugged in as much as possible?

I thought this was like a cell phone where its healthier if you run it down and what not as much as possible so it helps it last longer.

 

[plinden]

Will they swap it in store? Or what is procedure?

Take it to the store when the battery level is just above where it switches off and show the genius.

If they accept the battery is faulty, they will put in an order for a new one if they don't have one in store, but you'll be able to take the Mac home with you (since you are still able to use it).

That's what happened when my wife's MB hard drive died. Since I had OS X installed on an external HD, my wife was still able to use it (albeit not as a portable) so after the guy at the genius bar acknowledged it needed to be replaced and he put in the order, we took the MB home, and they phoned us a week later when the new HD arrived in store.

They seem to good at that store (Burlingame) ... while we were waiting, a teenager in front of me got his iPod replaced. But the genius told him to be careful in future about putting the iPod through the washing machine, since obvious water damage might mean it wouldn't be replaced.

 

[IJ Reilly]

so its best if I keep it plugged in as much as possible?

I thought this was like a cell phone where its healthier if you run it down and what not as much as possible so it helps it last longer.

This was only true for NiCAD batteries, which hardly anyone uses anymore. The more modern Lithium Ion and NiMH batteries do not develop a "memory" from partial charging like the old NiCADs did. The newer batteries suffer from being run flat too often. The only problem I've encountered from leaving the laptop plugged in is it screws up the battery calibration over time, which causes the charge percentage to run high. The cure is to re-calibrate it every so often.

 

[iBookG4user]

Have you tried calibrating the battery?